La Dame aux Camelias: The Lady of the Camelias

During 1844 Dumas met Marie Duplessis, a Young courtesan who supposedly was the inspiration for his novel The Lady of the Camellias (La Dame aux camélias). Of course the heroine’s name was changed to Marguerite Gautier. The novel was later adapted into a play, and it was titled Camille in English. This same play became the basis for Verdi’s opera, La Traviata. Although the intrigues, overall plot, and denouement may be easy to guess, the narrating voices hold the story in complete suspense to the bitter end. The acts of both, helpers and principals, advance relentlessly as told by four different narrators: an unnamed voice (presumably the author’s), Armand Duval, Marguerite Gautier, and Juliet Duprat (a friend). La Dame aux camellias is a timeless story that will continue to captivate readers for many generations to come.